The theoretical part of this dissertation attempts to address the problems we have with school today in Slovenia (from a social-pedagogical point of view) through Illich’s critique of the school in Deschooling Society, and the response of his critics. It is possible that Illich may have identified the problem with modern schools, but this conclusion cannot be made without further research. His alternative seems attractive but is, perhaps, still utopian for our time. The consensus of the whole of society is needed for its realisation, which is why we cannot force it. For it to be realised, we also need to “deschool” other aspects of life, especially the nation state. This interpretation of Illich’s theory of “deschooling” also calls into question the very idea of education (with expectations) and with it the basis of social pedagogy action. The ethics of social pedagogy make a case for the argument for “deschooling society”.
The empirical part of the dissertation I consists of a sample survey to try to ascertain the kind of response Illich’s theory of “deschooling” received in Slovenian social pedagogy and related sciences. I showed and interpreted the results with the help of qualitative principles. The research showed that although Illich is very little cited, he still had an indirect impact on social pedagogy through Thiersch and perhaps also through Darja Zaviršek and Vito Flaker. The final chapter attempts to demonstrate how reading Ivan Illich’s work might enrich the social-pedagogical understanding of some professional themes and possibly even contribute to strengthening the social-pedagogical identity.
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